Faf du Plessis named as full-time South Africa Twenty20 skipper

Faf du Plessis is to take over from AB de Villiers as South Africa's Twenty20 captain on a full-time basis.

Last Updated: 20/02/13 12:37pm

Faf du Plessis: New South Africa Twenty20 captain

The batsman filled in for De Villiers during the series with New Zealand as he cited the need for a rest from his duties, which also include keeping wicket.

De Villiers then asked to be replaced, and with du Plessis given the nod South Africa have different captains for all three forms of the game, although De Villiers will stay on as one-day skipper.

Du Plessis starts his role in the series with Pakistan and the squad he will be in charge of includes new cap Kyle Abbott, who was also called into the Test squad for the first time on Tuesday.

South Africa have rested Jacques Kallis from both their ODI and T20 squads, while Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn have been given time off for the T20 series as well.

Exciting

"Handing Faf the T20 captaincy is an exciting option for us to explore our leadership resources," coach Gary Kirsten said.

"He showed a lot of potential during the series against New Zealand in both the T20 and ODI formats, and this will be another great opportunity for him to work on his role as a leader.

"Having three captains also allows us to spread the resources amongst our three formats, with Graeme (Smith) and AB also providing the ideal support in the Test and ODI formats. This is an important year for our limited-overs squads and this new direction is an exciting step forward."